SmashMouth

The plan was put in motion at safety when the Saints selected Vonn Bell in the second round of the draft.

If things follow the team’s vision, at some point, whether it’s next year or a couple more down the road, the Ohio State product will slide in at free safety be the long-term starter at that position. That’s simple to see. New Orleans wouldn’t have traded up to select Bell if it didn’t believe this was in his future.

But there’s a logjam in the interim that might make it difficult to find him snaps if the Saints defense sticks to same packages it used last year. There’s only room for one deep safety in the single-high looks the team used last season, and Jairus Byrd and Kenny Vaccaro are still on the roster. Neither player is here to watch.

Byrd, who counts $10.9 million against the cap this year, is still someone with Pro Bowl ability. And Vaccaro, who is a strong safety, was one of the better players on defense last season and recently had his fifth-year option picked up.




So the issue is finding ways that all three players can play at the same time. Right now, the Saints say they’re still figuring out what the best practices will be for this defense.

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